Battery separators formed from aramid nanofiber.

Nanostructured para-aramid — one ten-thousandth the width of typical aramid fibers — assembles to form a separator thinner, stiffer and more heat-resistant than leading commercial polyolefin separators.

Scanning electron micrograph, in cross-section, of an ARACHNE aramid nanofiber separator deposited directly on a sulfur–carbon cathode
500 nm
Fig. 1 ARACHNE separator (top) deposited directly on a sulfur–carbon cathode, cross-section. SEM, 120 000×, FEI Helios 650.

ARACHNE differs structurally from polyolefin separators.

Both surfaces imaged on the same microscope at 35 000×. Stretched polypropylene opens slit-shaped pores; ARACHNE is a continuous mesh of aramid nanofibers.

Scanning electron micrograph of a Celgard 2400 polypropylene separator surface showing elongated slit-shaped pores
1 µm
Fig. 2a Celgard 2400 (dry-stretched PP), surface. SEM, 35 000×, FEI Helios 650.
Scanning electron micrograph of an ARACHNE separator surface showing a dense, interconnected aramid nanofiber mesh
1 µm
Fig. 2b ARACHNE, surface. SEM, 35 000×, FEI Helios 650.

ARACHNE 25, quantified.

Valerion's 2.5 µm free-standing para-aramid nanofiber separator benchmarked against two commercially available separators. Vendor-reported values vs. ARACHNE in-house data.

Technical data sheet · rev. Oct 2026

PropertyCelgard 2500Gellec UltraThinARACHNE 25
MaterialPP, dry-stretchWet PE + ceramic coatPara-aramid nanofiber
Thickness25 µm9 µm PE + 3 µm ceramic2.5 µm
Melting point≈165 °C≈135 °CNone; carbon decomposition at 574 °C
Heat shrinkage1.1 % MD, 105 °C1.4 % MD, 90 °C0.1 % at 250 °C
Tensile strength (weakest axis)12.7 MPaNot available177 MPa, isotropic
Young's modulus≈0.5 GPaNot available8.8 GPa
Puncture strength3.2 N3–10 N5.4 N
Porosity · Gurley55 % · 200 s40 % · 80–400 s27 % · 430 s
Areal resistance≈2.3 Ω·cm²Not available≈0.7 Ω·cm²
MaturityCommercialCommercial, GWh scaleLow throughput pilot line, scale PoC

ARACHNE 25: Valerion in-house measurements on engineering samples; preliminary, indicative values.

Gellec: published table for its 9 µm PE base film; puncture and Gurley are product ranges.

Celgard 2500: datasheet (rev. 10/21).

ARACHNE application advantages.

ARACHNE 25's characteristics translate to improved battery performance in critical areas.

High-energy EV
Reclaim separator volume; highest 0.1C capacity in our NMC811 tests.
Safety-critical packs
No melting point, 0.1% change at 250°C, self-extinguishing [4].
Fast charge
≈30% lower impedance than Celgard 2500; 9° electrolyte contact angle.
Li-metal · Li–S · Na-ion
Dendrite suppression; 3,500+ Li–S cycles demonstrated [2,3].
Solid-state & polymer
ANF scaffold reinforces thin polymer and gel electrolytes [5]. Enables aSEI formation.
Structural battery designs
Load-bearing membranes for drones, eVTOL, wearables [5].

Investors

Backed by domain experts and regional investors.

Team

Aramid nanofiber pioneers from the University of Michigan, paired with experience in venture capital and technology translation.

Portrait of Nicholas Kotov, PhD

Nicholas Kotov, PhD

Founder and Inventor

Director of the NSF Center for Complex Particles and Particle Systems. Irving Langmuir Professor, University of Michigan. National Academy of Engineering.

Portrait of Ahmet Emrehan Emre, PhD

Ahmet Emrehan Emre, PhD

Co-founder and CTO

Research Fellow, University of Michigan. Faculty, Boğaziçi University. Previously GM battery research.

Portrait of Jim Graham, CFA

Jim Graham, CFA

Co-founder and President

Director of Investments, RBP Catalyst Fund. Previously Sante Ventures and McKinsey & Co. CFA charterholder.

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References

  1. [1] Yang M. et al., ACS Nano (2011)
  2. [2] Tung S.-O. et al., Nat. Commun. (2015)
  3. [3] Wang M., Emre A. et al., Nat. Commun. (2022)
  4. [4] Patel A. et al., ACS AMI (2020)
  5. [5] Wang M. et al., Sci. Robot. (2020)